The Furball cats are Merlin, Fairy, Elfin, Buddha and Yogi

Carolyn says: My cat is not eating but does throw up after he does eat. The vet has him on fur ball medicine. He's licking the door frame and is not active around the house. I hate to keep running to the vet with more bills. He's also not drinking water as much. Can you help me?

Hair balls, those cylinder-shaped tufts of bile-coated fur that your kitty periodically deposits on your clean floor, are nature’s remedy for removing indigestible fur from your kitty’s tummy. However, complications can occur if your kitty, in the process of grooming, swallows more fur than her system can cope with.
Don't think your cat won't get hairballs because it has short hair, or because you don't see it grooming excessively. Virtually all cats get hairballs from licking their fur to clean themselves. The fur accumulates in their stomachs and a few things can happen: The cat can vomit up the hairball or pass it in a bowel movement, or it can become lodged inside the cat's intestines.The best treatment for hairballs is prevention. Brushing your cat will reduce the amount of loose hair it ingests during grooming. Some cat foods are specially designed to help reduce hairballs, so check those out. Increasing your cat's fiber intake also can help. Adding canned pumpkin or asparagus to your cat's food will up the fiber. Keeping your house clean is a big help, as well; if your cat eats bits of string or thread off the floor, those can get wrapped up with the hairball and make it much worse. Treating your cat for fleas also can reduce fur balls. When your cat has fleas, it will lick more as it tries to rid itself of the pests.Often, you'll only know that your cat has had a hairball after it vomits up the plaque of fur. Sometimes, however, hairballs become stuck inside a cat. Your cat may display some symptoms that can clue you in: The cat might exhibit a repeated dry cough, or may retch after eating. Some cats may be fatigued, depressed or uninterested in food."At first glance, a hairball can be confused with feces," says Dr. Guglielmino, an associate veterinarian at The Cat Doctor, a Seattle-area clinic specializing in feline health. "But if you're courageous enough to examine it closely, you'll discover that its odor is not really foul, only mildly fetid, and it's apt to be the same color as your cat's fur."Hairballs are easily preventable, especially in long-haired cats. Regular brushing and grooming of your pet can remove fur and reduce shedding; when your cat grooms him- or herself, no hair will be ingested! A bored cat tends to more as well – entertain your cat by playing more or adding some new toys to the house.Hairballs are the butt of many a cat joke, even though the telltale hack-hack-hacking may seem commonplace to most feline owners. Cats are fastidious self-groomers, so it’s this habit that causes hairballs -- swallowed loose fur that is not completely digested. The problem usually warrants no cause for alarm, but in some cases, hairballs become too big for a cat’s digestive tract and cause blockage that can be life-threatening. It’s important for any cat owner to know why hairballs form, why they’re so common and when they can be dangerous.

Fur Ball Treatment for Cats - Pets

Cats are semi-domesticated. Cats groom themselves to eliminate scent from their fur (as predators they do not want to give themselves away to prey) and to keep themselves clean of food and parasites. In doing so, they ingest hair (little hooks on their tongues), lots of it if fleas or allergies are present. Also, the longer the fur is, the bigger the fur ball is. This fur tends to stay retained in the stomach. A cat’s primary mechanism for ridding itself of ingested hair is vomiting. It is a natural, normal process. Given the cat’s anatomy, (a narrow small intestine) far better to come up then pass through.